Vampire Kisses: Eternity
by geeky-goth-girl-13
Summary: Raven and Alexander have fought to get to this point. And now that their here they won't stop trying to convince everyone that they can make. Follow Raven and Alex through the most trying  times of their lives.
1. Chapter 1: Surprise Question

Chapter 1: Surprise Question

While swaddled in Alexander's startling white, corpse cold arms all I could think about was what his surprise for me was. He told me on the phone earlier that day that I would never be able to guess what his surprise for me was. He told me while I was on my way to school. I can't believe that the school doesn't offer night classes. Then Alexander could go to school with me. Oh well, that's what we get for living in a town of 8,000 people where everyone but me and Alexander looked like they had just stepped out of a Sears catalog.

I had spent all of the sad lonely hours of daylight wondering, wondering what Alexander's sweet romantic surprise for me would be. As if our simple candle and moonlit picnic in the cemetery by his grandmothers monument wasn't already the most romantic date that we could have. I couldn't see Alexander during daylight because he can't come out during the day, hence why I wish that the school had a night school.

I should mention that the reason that Alexander couldn't go to school with me during the day was because he wasn't human. He was far too handsome to be human though luckily every believed that. Alexander, along with the majority of his family, is a vampire. Trevor Mitchell, my arch enemy, had started a rumor that had spread to the entire town, after his mother had told him some things that she had heard about Alexander's parents, that they were vampires. I suppose it wasn't so bad that I had believed in the rumors for a while, it was what had brought me and Alexander together ultimately.

On my walk to the cemetery I went over all my ideas about what my vampire beau would do. Would he change me? Were we going to Romania, his homeland? Was I being invited to live in the Mansion? I mean, after all I am eighteen. I could move out of my house on my own with Alexander, drop out of Dullsville High (Alexander had been home schooled all his existence), I could even get a tattoo. I was a legal adult.

After a sweet, heart stopping kiss Alexander and I talked about my day and what he had done after I had left the day before. Then we ate some of the delicious sandwiches that Alexander's butler Jameson had made for us.

What Alexander ended up asking me next took me completely off my guard. No wonder he told me that I would never be able guess.

As Alexander's soft, warm, soulful brown eyes stared into mine I found myself mesmerized and barley paying attention. I'm just guessing that the fact that it was all just like he had put a spell on me was just a coincidence that he could actually do that.

"Raven?" Alexander asked.

"Mm."

"I have something that I want to ask you," he continued after he knew that I was paying attention to him.

This was it. This was what I had been waiting for all day. This was my surprise. I just knew it.

"Raven, we've been dating for nearly two years now."

"One year, ten months. and fifteen days this past sunset," I said, "to be exact."

"Okay then. Raven, we've been dating for exactly one year, ten months, and fifteen days this past sunset," he said repeating what I had said. "Will you, Raven Madison, marry me, Alexander Sterling?"

"Huh?" I was in utter shock. This wasn't what I had been expecting. But add to the things I could now legally do- get married. "Yes," I said when I saw him staring.

I was breathless. While I tried to get my breath back Alexander ducked behind grandmothers monument and pulled out a bouquet of red roses. Hanging from a black satin ribbon on the roses was a beautiful, old fashioned ring.

"My grandmothers," Alexander explained as he put the ring on the third finger of my left hand.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"I thought that since you were going to be a part of my family if you said yes, then that you should have a Sterling family heirloom."

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," he breathed.

We probably wouldn't have said much else. Even if our lips weren't busy in another way entirely different from talking.

As we drove to my house, I couldn't stop staring at Baroness Sterling's ring. Now it was my ring.

When we finally got to my front door, instead of kissing me goodnight like he usually did. He opened the front door for me. And since my parents were still up I knew we were telling them our news.

"Mom, dad," I blurted out, "we're getting married!" I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, hide my newly found excitement for an occasion where I had no real choice but to wear white.

"What?" they yelled in unison.

"What's going on?" Billy Boy asked coming down the stairs.

"Are you pregnant?" my mother asked me, ignoring my little brother.

"No! We just love each other and want to get married," I hurriedly said.

"Well when were you planning on getting married?" my dad asked far calmer than my mother.

"We were thinking that since December 1st is our second anniversary of our first date that we should just get married then. It's September 15th today, so that gives us two and a half months to get ready for the wedding," Alexander replied even calmer than my dad except for his obvious excitement about my saying yes. "I'll call my parents tonight and tell them. Tomorrow night Raven and I will write out the invitations for Raven to send out on Friday. We'll have the wedding at sundown on the first and have the ceremony and reception at the Mansion. Raven and I will head out for our honeymoon in Romania the night after the wedding. After a month in Romania Raven and I will return to live in the Mansion," Alexander continued explaining everything to my parents.

"You two really have thought this out haven't you?" my mother asked, almost as calm as Alexander.

"We talked on our way over here," I replied calmly.

"Well you're eighteen, we really can't deny you getting married. Besides, ever since you and Alexander met you have been happier then you ever were, even when you were a little girl and you're father would stay up late an watch Dracula with you on our old black-and-white TV," my mother said.

"What is going on?" Billy Boy asked, annoyed now that we hadn't included him in our conversation at all. I had forgotten that he was even there.

"Alexander and I are getting married?" I said just as excited as the first time I said those words aloud.

For a thirteen-year-old who's so smart, Billy Boy was utterly stupefied by our announcement.


	2. THEY ARE'NT VAMPIRES!

Chapter 2: They aren't vampire's!

The next night I went over to Alexander's and we prepared the invitations. While we worked I asked Alexander how his parents reactions were. He said that they weren't surprised that me and him were getting married. They thought that we belonged together and that Alexander had never been happier.

When we were done the invitations looked like this:

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Alexander Sterling and Raven Madison.

When: December 1, 2007

Where; Sterling Mansion, 234 Benson Hill Dr. Amiza, Virginia

R.S.V.P. back by October 2, 2007

With Much Love,

Alexander Sterling

and

Raven Madison

I still say that Alexander should have put Dullsville on the invitations. I think he secretly wanted to.

Those in town who were invited to the wedding got their invitation faster than those who were out of town. Or (in the case of Alexander's family) those who lived on another continent. So when I walked into Dullsville High on Monday I was expecting Becky's reaction.

"Oh my gosh, Raven. I can't believe you're getting married." she said.

"I know. Becky would you be my maid of honor?" I asked her.

"Really Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" she said. "Wait, do I need to wear black?"

"Nope. I was thinking a deep red would look good with your skin. Not blood red, but a deep red," I reassured her.

"What are you going to wear? A black dress or a more traditional white dress? Is your mom going to help you pick out the dress? Are your parents paying for the..."

"Becky, slow down. A white dress, but you can't tell anybody. No my mother is not helping me pick out my dress. She'll just suggest something with too many beads, sparkles, ribbons, and frilly lace. And my parents will pay for a part of the wedding. Alexander's family will pay for the other half," I answered her questions. "Anything else?"

"Is anyone going to help you pick out your dress?" she asked, slightly pleadingly and slightly disappointment.

"Of course," I answered. "You and my aunt Libby are going to help me pick out my dress," I told her with a smile.

"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you," she said while clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

"But you can't tell anybody. Got it?" I asked in a serious tone.

"Of course. When are we going to pick out your dress?"

"In a month."

"So, monster-girl, monster-boy finally decided to make you one of the undead?" a voice from behind me asked.

"Yeah, Trevor. Alexander is going to turn me into a vampire so that I can be by his side forever," I said using my normal amount of acidity and using an extreme amount of sarcasm with him, covering up what only I knew to be the truth. "Are you really that crazy? For the last time Alexander and his family ARE NOT VAMPIRES!"

"How do you explain the fangs then, Raven?" he countered me in a jokingly superior tone.

"It's a genetic condition that runs in his family," I said using the excuse Alexander and I had decided that we would use when people asked us this question. I hoped that I sounded convincing enough.

"And how he never comes out in the sunlight?"

"He has a disease called Porphyria. Also known as 'The Vampire Disease'," I said.

Just then the bell rang for first period. I realized that I was early to school for a change. "Great, time for English class with Mrs. Naper." I muttered.

"Well, Raven congratulations on your engagement to Alexander," Mrs. Naper said as I walked in the door.

Can't anything stay secret in a small town? I thought.

"Thank you Mrs. Naper," I said, shyly, but also calmly and politely.

"This gives me an idea for the topic of today's class discussion. Everyone today we will focus on how in Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare quickly sets the events and setting of the play and how he describes their love for each other, in Romeo and Juliet's words."


	3. Preperation

Chapter 3: Preparation

"Okay, so we'll use your family crest on the plates and glasses. My family's meat will be well done to keep from any mix up's seeing as your family's meat will be rare. Becky is going to be my maid of honor and my only bride's maid. Sebastian will be your best man and your only grooms man," I said quickly, trying to get everything set. "I had my final dress fitting today while you were asleep in your coffin.

"Yep, that's about it," Alexander replied with a smile on his face (though I knew all this wedding planning stuff bored him to death, no pun intended). "Ouch!" Oh yeah, Alexander was getting the final fit on his tux.

It was only two day's until the wedding. The last few months flew by so fast. me and Alexander didn't do much the first month of our engagement. Aunt Libby helped me pick out my dress. I knew she could keep a secret from my mother.

My dress was a strapless white one with a black gauze material over the skirt of the dress. With black lace trimming and a small black ribbon in a bow on back. I was going to wear a ruby heart pendant on a black ribbon that Alexander had given me for my birthday a few days before he proposed. I was going to have a grayish veil that reached to my waist.

We got Becky's dress at the same time. They had exactly what I was looking for. Becky's dress was a deep red, sleeveless dress with black lace trim. She agreed with my earlier assessment that she looked good in deep red. Just then Alexander walked back in after getting out of his tux.

"Okay. So my family got here yesterday from out of town and are staying in a hotel. Your parents got here last week and the rest of your immortal family gets here tonight at about eleven and will be staying here.

"Exactly. Tomorrow we'll have the rehearsal ceremony at sundown out back and dinner at Francois' Bistro. Then we'll have the actual wedding on Friday out back in the gazebo and the reception out on the front lawn," Alexander said, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind me.

"The caterers get here at three on Friday. I think that's about it. Oh wait, the Maxwell's," I still can't believe their coming, "are staying at Jagger's apartment in Hipsterville."

"That's everything," Alexander said. "We aren't getting a photographer so we don't need to worry about that. We get the rest of the evening to ourselves. What do you want to do now?"

"How about Bram Stokers Dracula?"

"Perfect," Alexander said before he swiped me up into his arms and carried me to the TV room up the stairs kissing me the entire way.

After the movie was over Alexander walked me home. It was my second to last day of school at Dullsville High in the morning and I needed to sleep. After school I would finish packing up my stuff to be moved to Alexander's home.

When we got to my front door Alexander said to me in his soft voice, "Goodnight Raven Madison. Only two more days until you become Raven Sterling." Then he kissed me goodnight.

Before I had even closed the door Alexander was gone, as always. It was at that moment that I realized that home was at the Mansion, the place I was standing in now was just a house.

I may have lived here all my life but what they say about how home is where the heart is, well it's true. I had left my heart with Alexander and he was back at the Mansion. '

Nightmare, my cat, was waiting for me in my room. She had gotten so big since Alexander had given her to me as a gift to keep me company during the day when he wasn't there little more than a year ago. She liked Alexander, unlike how she disliked most vampire's. It was because of this reason that I had decided that she would be coming with me to the Mansion.

Then she did something she never does. She jumped up onto the windowsill and looked out my window without hissing. Normally she only hisses when she's been sitting there watching me do my homework because some vampire that she doesn't trust is out back. If she's not already over by the window then she doesn't go over there after dark.

I went over and sure enough I see the one person who could ever hold my heart. Who should be sitting on the swings in my yard but Alexander. I knew he was there to protect me, as he was most nights. Needless to say I slept well knowing that all the vampires in the area would never be able to reach me.


	4. Big Day

Chapter 4: Big day

I looked at myself in the mirror, and what I saw amazed me. I saw a raven-haired, pale beauty. When my mom came up to see me in my room before we took the limo over to the Mansion, she was unsurprised by my choice of dress, which had been hanging up in Becky's closet to keep my mom from peeking while I was out until the big day.

"You look beautiful in that dress. Only you could pull it off," she'd told me.

When we pulled up to the Mansion the sun was just setting behind the trees that lined the back of the Mansion's property. Everyone but my father and myself got out of the limo.

"Ready?" my father asked me.

"Yes," I said, "I'm ready for the beginning of the rest of my life.

As the wedding march played I was aware of all the guests and the minister, but only vaguely. My attention was devoted to Alexander. His tux wasn't quite as modern as most. He had on a skinny tie but his suit itself hinted at a former century for its style.

Only a small part of me was paying attention to what the minister was saying. Another part of me was wondering what life would be like now. Still another part of me was wondering what home school life would be like. The majority of my attention was devoted to entirely staring at Alexander.

After the ceremony we had the reception out front. Somewhere in between dancing, cutting the cake, and making sure that humans only had human drinks and that vampires only had vampire drinks that could pass for human drinks, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Excuse me I believe I have something that belongs to you."

"Jack Patterson?" I said turning around.

"I have your old necklace from when we snuck into the mansion all those years ago," he said holding up my old necklace in my face.

"My old onyx necklace. You kept it for the past six years?"

"I always planned on returning it to you. I just never had it whenever I saw you."

"Man it's still the way it was when I wore it years ago."

"Raven?" I heard Alexander calling me from a few feet away.

"Over here. Alexander look what Jack brought with him to the wedding for me. My old necklace."

"Hey Raven, do you remember what you had grabbed in the Mansion as the original souvenir for me to show my friends because I was too scared to leave the basement?"

"Um, I think it was a book from the library, Romanian Castles was the title now that I think about it."

"What are you too talking about?" Alexander asked us.

"When I was twelve I came here one night. Jack was a popular high school student and had been dared by his friends to take the ultimate right of passage, to sneak into the old haunted, abandoned mansion and bring out a souvenir to prove that he had gone in.

"I had just found a point of entry into my dream house when I heard Jack and his friends coming. I over heard what they had said. I knew it would take him a while to find a spot to get into the Mansion, if he didn't bother to try to run away. I helped him in. I went in first and he got stuck. When we were in he was to scared to go any farther than the basement so I went upstairs to the library and pulled off a book that I figured would work. I heard his friends honking outside and I dropped the book. When we were outside and I realized that I had left the book inside and Jack wouldn't let me go back in I gave him my old onyx necklace on its black leather strap. I figured it looked like something that your grandmother might have owned and simply told him not to have it appraised."

"So the first time you snuck into the Mansion was when you were twelve?" Alexander asked me.

"Yes. Is that all you got out of my story?"

"No. I just always thought that the first time you snuck into the Mansion was two years ago. The time that I caught you," he said with a wide grin on his face just for me.

"Nope, the first time that I snuck into the Mansion was when I was twelve-years-old."

"Well I guess that you like to sneak into places."

"Yes I do. Thank you for bringing me my old neck lace Jack."

"You are so welcome," Jack said.

When the reception was over, instead of showering me and Alexander with rice leaving the house , we got showered with rice going into the house.

The day was spent snuggled in Alexander's coffin while all the guests who weren't vampires recovered from their all nighter. I know that most couples don't sleep during their first night married, or in our case their first day, but we did sleep the tired human and the tired vampire who would have another type of ceremony before their departure to Romania.

That night, after a beautiful wedding mortal style, it was time for my covenant ceremony. Of course all of the guests at the ceremony were vampires.

We had decided that our "Vampire Wedding" would be performed in front of grandmothers monument. This time I wore a slightly more gothic dress. My dress was all black, strapless, form fitting, and spandex. I had black ribbons laced through a long braid that ran down my back. Instead of red roses I carried black roses.

As I walked up the flickering candle lit path to the closed coffin with its single blood filled goblet and flickering candle, and most importantly to my handsome Alexander. My life would now change forever. I would live forever and I would be able to see my sweet Alexander every night and day and I could travel all over the world.

When I reached Alexander at our alter I saw the faces of all our guests. I saw Alexander's parents, Constantine and Cassandra, up front with the biggest smiles of all. I saw Alexander's uncle Canter and aunt Lucille, with a surprisingly happy Claude. I also all the immortal friends that I have acquired over the past few years. There was Alexander's best friend Sebastian, my it was a surprise that he didn't even look towards Becky as he would have a year ago. I also saw Claude's friends, Kat, Tripp, and Rocco.

The ceremony went as I always imagined it would. When I got to the alter Alexander and I drank from the goblet. after that Alexander bent his head down and bit me on the neck. When he came up he had just a trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. I felt a little dizzy but when my head was clear I felt the two new fangs in my mouth and saw that Alexander had a look of utter adoration on his face.

Now that I was finally a vampire I could spend every second of my time with Alexander. I could see in the dark his beauty the way he had looked at me in the dark without a single light and seen me when I unfairly could not see him.


	5. Honeymoon

Chapter 5: Honeymoon

We left for our honeymoon many hours before the sun rose.

When we arrived at the airport we spent not a moment in there longer than we needed to spend getting our luggage. When we finally arrived at the mansion that were we would be staying, the first thing we did was set up our coffin in Alexander's old room. After sprinkling some soil from Alexander's homeland and some soil from my homeland in a circle around the coffin Alexander and I stepped in. We were far too tired to even consider spending a few of the hours of daylight awake.

When we awoke at sunset a butler was waiting with two of the bloody smoothies with the tiny swords that I had seen Alexander have all the time.

We spent the night trying to find each other in the darkened mansion. Alexander showed me some of the paintings that inspired him to be an artist. One from when his parents had commissioned an artist just before he had moved into the Mansion.

When we were in Romania I could tell just how much Alexander missed home. We spent the nights playing hide and seek in the mansion and searching through the family grave yard. There was that memorable trip to Dracula's castle.

But the most memorable part of the trip happened at the end. Alexander and I received a letter from his parents as our wedding gift. Their gift to us: the deeds of the Mansion on Benson Hill were now in our names. We now legally owned the Mansion.

When we flew back to our home in America we had picnics in the moonlight and midnight showings of Dracula. When Alexander was painting I was working on my school work. And Alexander was only painting when you managed to pull him and me apart.

Our day's were spent in a spacious coffin hidden in his- our- closet. We were deeply in love and nothing was going to change that or get in our way. Not even Trevor Mitchell and his soccer snob friends


	6. Return to the Dungeon

Chapter 6: Return to the Dungeon

"Alexander, why are we driving to this place you want to take me to and not flying?" I asked. In didn't know where we were because Alexander had put a blindfold on me before he helped me into the car.

We had decided that rather than use Jameson's car every time we needed it that we would get our own car. The new Mercedes had extremely tinted windows and was midnight black. The license plate read Vmpr X's.

"Because if we flew to your surprise then it would let you know where we are going," he answered me and I thought that I detected a smile in his voice.

"Hmph."

We drove for another hour or so. I assumed that since this place was so far away that we would have to spend the day and that was the reason that we had brought our coffin.

Finally we came to our stop. Or so I thought. Alexander led me somewhere and took the blindfold off and replaced it with a motorcycle helmet. Now that the blindfold was off I could see the night rod. Identical to the one Alexander had used when he infiltrated the vampire underground club, the Dungeon, as Phoenix Slater. Then everything clicked.

A town that took a couple of hours to drive to. Alexander wanted to surprise me. This was the night rod Alexander had used as Phoenix Slater, the very same one. We were going to the Dungeon!

When we got to the Coffin Club, the club that rested over the Dungeon, the line was just as long as ever. But instead of going to the back of the line like we did last time, Alexander simply showed the bouncer the golden key he had acquired as Phoenix when he beat Jagger Maxwell, the creator of the Dungeon, in a vote between the clubsters as to who should run the club. We were in the Coffin Club in seconds.

Instead of going over to the door that led down to the Dungeon, Alexander brought me over to the bar and asked me what I thought of his little surprise for me.

"I love it! Although all the girls staring at you is getting annoying," I commented.

"There's only one girl I notice though," Alexander said.

I would have ordered an alcohol free beverage, but my lips were a little busy at the moment.

After we both got drinks we went down to the Dungeon. Dragon, the Dungeons bouncer, seemed to remember me, but I was surprised that he seemed to recognize Alexander. Then I remembered that the key was hanging around his neck in plain view. A dead give away.

"Sir," Dragon said. He sounded stern but had a look of confusion on his face, "that key doesn't belong to you. Miss, um, Raven, right?"

"Yes," I answered.

"You may go on. I just want to talk to this young man," he said politely.

"I thank you for permission to pass," yes I really said that, "but I think I'll stay with my husband," I said. How good it felt to call Alexander my husband.

"All right, if you please. Now , sir, where did you get that key?"

"The key is mine," Alexander said calmly and politely.

"That key belongs to the owner of the club, Phoenix Slater."

"I am Phoenix Slater," Alexander said in the Romanian accent he had used when he was Phoenix. "I needed to be someone else to gain control of the club from Jagger," Alexander explained, the accent gone. "We had finally settled a feud between the two of us and our families and made peace. But his plans for the club were too horrible for me to ignore, so I created Phoenix to gain control and keep everyone safe."

"Miss Raven, is this true?" Dragon asked me skeptically.

"Yes. He reveled his little secret to me after he saved me as Phoenix at the vote," I said.

"Fine, you both may enter the club," Dragon told us.

"Come on," I told Alexander," I want some time to dance before the sun comes up!"

"Okay, okay," he said seeing my eager expression.

When we were in I looked around for my old friends from the club, Scarlet and Onyx. I had stayed in touch with them both by phone. That's it! I'll call Scarlet and see if she's here! She lives in town.

"Alexander," I said over the loud Marilyn Manson music, "I'm going to go call an old friend and see if she's here. I'll be back in a minute. Okay?"

"Yeah, hurry back," he said. "I'm going to go get some drinks for us," he told me before he left with a nervous expression.

I took out my phone and scrolled through my friends list until I hit Scarlet's number. Bring, bring.

"Hello?" Scarlet said on the other line.

"Hey Scarlet. It's Raven. Are you in the Dungeon?" I asked her.

"Yeah, why? Need to be let back in?" she asked me.

"No, I'm already inside the club. I have a lifetime membership."

"Cool. Want to meet up? Onyx is here too."

"Yeah, meet me at the bar in the main room. Alexander's already there."

"Is Alexander the one who changed you?" she asked me.

"Yes, and he's my husband. We had a traditional mortal wedding for my parents sake."

"Cool, see you in a few minutes," she said. "Onyx, come on we're meeting Raven at the bar in the main room," I heard her call just before she hung up.

As I walked over to the bar I noticed that Alexander was talking to someone. He looked vaguely familiar as one of Phoenix's supporters before the vote was announced. As I got closer I noticed that Alexander was using a Romanian accent. Must be a Phoenix follower, I thought.

"Raven!" I heard somebody call to my left.

"Onyx!" I said when I saw them. "How are you two?" I asked.

"Great so do we get to see Alexander?" Scarlet asked as she came up behind Onyx.

"Let me see your fangs," Onyx said.

"He's right over there," I said when I was done showing my fangs off to Onyx. I noticed that Alexander's companion had gotten up. "Alexander," I said when we reached him, "you remember Scarlet and Onyx."

"Hello," Alexander said in his accent, "I mean hello," he said again, accent gone.

"Why don't we all sit down, get, a drink, and catch up," I suggested.

"Sounds great," Alexander said as he put his arm around my waist and kissed my hair. "Something imported, please," Alexander asked the bartender, "and alcohol free."

"Sure thing, why dilute perfectly good blood?" Hey it was a vampires only club.

When the night was done Alexander and I went over to the old house where Alexander had stayed as Phoenix and slept the day away there.

After one more trip to the Coffin Club and the Dungeon for a couple of hours and then we drove home listening to the music of Rob Zombie. We had decided that it would be best if we left the night rod in Hipsterville for now.

It had been just over two and a half months since the wedding. I thought that life would stay just the way it is now. Living in the Mansion, going to the Dungeon every once in a while. I should have known that it would only get better from here on.

After all, since I'd met Alexander my life did have a tendency to get better in the long run.

That doesn't mean I was expecting this part of my life as a vampire, when I was changed, or before when I was human.


	7. Suprise

Chapter 7: Surprise

Home sweet home. That's what I thought whenever I walked back through the front door of the Mansion.

Two weeks after our trip to the Dungeon Alexander was working on a new project. This one would go to one of his fathers art galleries around the world.

When I woke up this evening the first thing I did was get dressed. Alexander and I were planning on seeing a movie after our breakfast. Just one thing changed that.

"Mm. This is delicious Jameson," I said.

"Thank you miss Raven."

" Raven's right Jameson. This is delicious," Alexander said.

Normally I don\rquote t get sick to my stomach when I eat rare steak, baked potato, corn, and blood. But this time I found myself racing to the bathroom.

"Excuse, me," I said to Alexander before I left running from the dining room with my mouth covered. I ran straight to the bathroom. When I got there I bent over and threw up. No sooner had I gotten in there then Alexander was right behind me holding my hair back while I was bent over.

"Are you okay Raven?" Alexander asked me. "Maybe we shouldn"t go see that movie tonight."

"No I'll be fine, really. I just must have eaten too fast or something."

"Raven you have never had a nightmare that woke you up in a cold sweat. Earlier before we got up I felt you wake up in my arms. You were in a cold sweat, and shaking."

"Alexander I'm fine," I reassured him. "Actually, I'm feeling a little hungry."

"Well why don't you sit down and relax for awhile. If you can keep down a glass of blood then I'll have Jameson make you some toast," Alexander said making sure that I was feeling better. "Why don't we settle in for a night of movies here. We\rquote ll start off by watching Kissing Coffins."

"Okay," I said. "But I would rather have some ice cream with blood drizzled over it instead of hot fudge."

"Okay, that's an odd request but I'll see what I can do," Alexander said with a look of confusion.

Over the next week or so I had the same stuff going on. I would wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the day. Than I would wake up, go have breakfast, throw up, and then crave some type of food covered in blood.

Eventually Alexander made me consider seeing a doctor. I told him no that it was probably just some type of bug going around. I did go see my mom though.

"Raven, Alexander called while you were on your way over here," my mother said while we were sitting in the living room visiting.

"Oh, and what did he say," I asked my mother as I chewed on some chocolate.

"He said that you weren't feeling well and asked me if I would try to convince you to see a doctor. Although I now and he knows that if you don't want to see a doctor that you won't see a doctor."

"Well your right I don't want to see a doctor. I don't need to see a doctor."

"Well why don't you tell me what's going on."

"Nothing much. I've been having these weird nightmares that wake me up in a cold sweat. I'll admit that I have been throwing up after I eat my breakfast when I wake up at sundown. After that I would just get hungry for some unlikely food. Other than that the only thing that I've noticed different is that my pants and dresses feel a bit tighter."

"I know those symptoms," my mother said excitedly.

"Really? Well what do they attribute to?"

"Not what they attribute to, but what attributes to them, my dear."

"Well what do they mean?"

"I bet this will make Alexander surprised."

"Mom, what is going on?"

"You're going to have a baby."

I laughed at that theory. When my mother looked at me like I was the crazy one I just laughed some more. "That's a good one mom. That's impossible."

"Are you on the pill? Is Alexander..."

"Mom, stop, it's just the flu. I've got to get going. I love you. Tell dad and Billy Boy that I said hi."

I didm't really believe my mother's crazy theory about me being pregnant. But that didn't mean that I was going to just put her theory out of my mind completely. I stopped on my way home at the pharmacy and got an early pregnancy test.

When I got home Alexander was waiting for me to hear about my visit with my mother. Apparently she had not called him when I left to tell him her crazy theory.

"How was your visit with your mother?" Alexander asked me anxiously at the dining room table during our equivalent of lunch.

"It went fine. She said that you had called her when I left the Mansion," I said, a little annoyed.

"So were your father and Billy there?" Alexander asked, clearly trying to direct the conversation away from that subject.

"No, they were at the movies. Stop changing the subject," I ordered.

"Okay, I'm sorry for calling your mother on you. Can you ever forgive me?" he asked me, looking sorry while he was laughing and smiling. If that's even possible.

"I could never stay mad at you Alexander, nor could I stay mad at my mother," I said sweetly.

"Did your mother at least manage to convince you to see a doctor, like I asked her to try?"

"No, she said that the both of you knew that you would never be able to convince me to see a doctor. Although she did have an interesting theory as to why I've been feeling ill."

Just then Jameson came to take away our plates.

"What was her theory, then my sweet Raven?" Alexander asked me looking truly curious.

"I'll tell you upstairs. Did you manage to get any work done on your latest painting while I was gone?"

"Yes, I did," he said looking proud. I knew that was because painting was his passion, after me of course.

"May I see it please?"

"No, you may not. This is one painting that I am going to keep that is going to belong to a series of paintings that you can't see until all of the paintings are finished. Look at who's trying to change the subject now. Will you please tell me what your mothers theory was?"

"Upstairs," I said trying to keep as much time as possible between me and my mothers theory. "Just let me go splash some water on my face. I'll see you up in our room in a minute," I said nervously.

In the bathroom by myself I took the pregnancy test starting to believe my mother\rquote s reasons for saying that I was pregnant. While I waited for the test results I splashed some water on my face and took a couple of deep breaths.

As I walked up the stairs to the attic room that Alexander and I shared with the pregnancy test concealed in my hands I thought of all the ways that I could tell him what I had just learned and all his possible reactions. When I reached the attic door I knocked to show Alexander that I was there.

"Alexander, I'm coming in. So if your painting that I am forbidden to see is there then you better cover it up from my prying eyes," I called to him laughing.

"All is clear, my love. I was merely waiting for you on the bed."

So as I walked into the room I kept a smile on my face. It didn't seem to distract him though from what I was supposed to tell him.

"So what was your mothers theory?" Alexander asked me when I reached the safety and comfort of his arms.

"She thought that I was pregnant," I told him, believing that he deserved the truth.

"Well that's a silly theory. Well what did you tell to her?"

"That it was impossible that I was pregnant, and that it was likely just the flu."

"Well that's amazing that she would come to that conclusion."

"I decided to prove her wrong so I went and bought an early results pregnancy test."

"And what did it say?" Alexander asked me, slightly nervous now.

"See for yourself," I said holding the pregnancy test out to him. I think that he knew the answer before he looked at the test.

"I can't believe it either," I told him guessing at his thoughts. "Alexander?" I asked him after a moment. "Alexander are you all right? Alexander?" It was rather clear now that he was in a state of shock. I decided to just let his state of shock run it's course.

I went over to the window to look out at the stars while I waited for Alexander to wake up in a sense. After a short time Alexander came over and turned me around to take me in his arms.

"We're going to have a baby," Alexander said to me with a happy smile on his face. It was extremely clear that this prospect of being a father made him happy and excited.

"Yeah," I told him before he started to kiss me, whispering my name when his lips were free.

I could tell that we both would need our sleep over the next few months. But we definitely did not get any that day.


End file.
